


Something Beautiful

by angryschnauzer



Series: Fluffy Bucky Fics [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sebastian Stan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8268224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryschnauzer/pseuds/angryschnauzer
Summary: Steve is on his own personal mission to give Bucky new, happier memories, but when his and Bucky’s days off don’t match, you offer to step in and help.





	

You looked up as the door to the apartment opened, smiling as you saw Steve and Bucky entering. Putting your book down you saw the fruits of their hard work;

“Did you have a good time?”

Bucky flopped down onto the sofa next to you, handing you the giant teddy bear he’d been holding;

“Yeah, it was good”

He didn’t sound as enthused as his words were meant to, letting out a deep breath and resting his head back on the soft cushions as he closed his eyes.

“Hey Buck, you want a beer?” Steve called from the kitchen, already holding two bottles as he twisted the caps off and left them in the sink, making his way across the large living room that you shared with him, Bucky, and Wanda.

“Sure. Thanks”

Bucky stood and took the bottle from Steve, but rather than returning to his seat he made for his room in silence, quietly shutting the door.

“What’s up with him?” Steve mused as he took Bucky’s seat next to you, setting the bear down on his far side.

“Steve, what did you do with him today?”

You knew that Steve had taken it upon himself to keep Bucky busy every spare off-duty moment they had, knowing that since he’d escaped Hydra, Bucky was haunted by the memories of all the lives he’d taken whilst under their control. Steve was therefore doing everything he could to help ‘install’ new memories in Bucky’s mind; happy, carefree, light hearted memories.

“I took him to the fair in Brooklyn. We went past some old haunts that are still standing from when... before... you know...”

“Yeah... I know”

You felt sorry for Steve. All he wanted was his best friend back, but with all his effort he was putting in, it just seemed that Bucky was retreating more into himself with each of Steve’s attempts. And you had a feeling you knew why;

“What’s with the bear?” you nodded to the stuffed animal that now sat bottom up on the couch next to Steve. He lifted it and held it in front of him.

“He wanted to bring you something back as you couldn’t join us”

You had been on duty for training, sometimes yours and Wanda’s shift pattern matched the boys, other times it conflicted with it. You looked up at Steve and smiled;

“So he bought me the bear?”

“No, he won it” Steve smiled to himself; “Only took him one go, he’s a real hotshot with the air rifles”

Your heart sank as you realised that’s why Bucky had withdrawn. Not only was Steve keeping him so busy he wasn’t getting chance to recharge his emotional batteries, he had also ended using his one skill set that haunted him in order to win you the bear. As you mused this over Steve went to get to his feet;

“I should go and check on him...”

You reached and grabbed his hand, stopping him;

“No, let me...”

You left Steve in the lounge, reaching for the TV remote as he switched it on. Grabbing the bear from next to him you made your way towards Bucky’s room, standing outside tentatively as you raised your hand to the door to knock, Bucky’s voice clear as your fist hovered over the door;

“Come in... its unlocked...”

Turning the handle you gently pushed the door open and looked inside;

“How did you...?”

“Super soldier... the serum improved my hearing...”

You stood in the doorway for a moment;

“Oh... right...”

You watched as Bucky lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. After a few moments of silence you slowly walked to the bed and sat on the side, reaching out and resting your hand on his arm;

“Thank you for the bear”

Finally he turned his head towards you, a weak smile curling at the corners of his mouth;

“That’s ok. It’s a shame you couldn’t come with us”

“I would have liked that but I had training today” you paused for a moment; “Hey, I was pretty much kicking Wanda’s butt for a while too”

As you smiled he did too. You’d been training with him as well and he’d helped to show you a few moves that you had been struggling with. Your training with Bucky always left you battered and bruised, he didn’t go easy on you but neither would anyone you were up against on a mission. Being roommates with him wasn’t too bad either. He was fairly tidy and didn’t leave his belongings lying around like Steve did, always carefully tidying after himself; probably due to when he was on the run he never wanted to leave any traces of himself behind.

You fell into silence again, Bucky looking back up at the ceiling, his hands clasped over his stomach.

“I’ll go and let you get some rest” you stood to leave; “You want me to leave the bear?”

He looked at you and weakly smiled;

“No, it’s for you” he shifted on the bed so he was lying on his side; “I overheard you saying the other day you wanted a bear to cuddle at night, so I wanted to get you one”

You felt the blush rising to your cheeks as you thanked him again and left his room, heading to your own at the opposite end of the apartment. You sat on the couch by the window and looked out over the fields that surrounded the Avengers training facility.

“Hey...” Wanda’s quiet voice make you jump; “What’s with the bear?”

Holding your finger to your lips you stood and turned on your iPod in its docking station, the room filled with quiet music. She looked at you worried for a moment before you explained;

“You remember last week when we were having that _chat_ in the lounge?”

“About Bucky?”

You nodded;

“And remember how I said ‘I just want to cuddle him’ and ‘He’s like a big brown bear, all soft and furry’”?

“Uh-huh”

“Well... he heard some of that. He’s got like super powered hearing”

“Oh...” Wanda looked confused for a moment; “How does that tie to the bear?”

You picked the stuffed animal up and sighed;

“He won it for me at the fair Steve took him to”

“That’s nice”

You didn’t have the energy to explain all this to Wanda, about Bucky mishearing you, about Steve overstretching Bucky. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, everyone calling it a night fairly early after tiring days, you curling up in bed alone before spotting the bear. Quickly walking across the cold tiled floor in bare feet you grabbed the bear and climbed back under the covers, nuzzling your face into its warm soft fur.

~*~

You had been on duty for the last four days, each evening returning back to your room aching from the gruelling training you’d been doing outside, ending up cold, soaking wet, and covered in mud. Stripping down to your undershirt and leggings, you left your boots and overalls at the doorway, walking quietly through the apartment, stopping when you saw Steve and Bucky in the kitchen;

“I’m sorry Buck...” Steve was saying; “I thought our schedules were identical...”

“Hey Steve, it’s not a problem” Bucky mumbled as he sat at the counter, moving cereal around in the bowl in front of him

You cleared your throat and they both looked up;

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Steve sighed;

“Its Bucky’s day off tomorrow but I’m on duty... I was going to show him the new exhibit at the museum and then...”

Bucky interrupted;

“Steve, really its fine”

You looked from Steve to Bucky and back again before an idea formed in your mind and came tumbling from your lips before you could stop yourself;

“How about I spend the day with Bucky?”

“You?” they both asked, yet in completely different tones; Steve surprised, Bucky... hopeful?

“Yeah. How about it Buck?”

He looked down at his cereal;

“Umm sure... what do I need to do, or bring, or wear?”

“Huh?”

“Steve always gives me instructions on what I need to prepare before our days out”

You wanted to slap Steve for bossing Bucky around, you should have noticed what he had been doing, and even if it was with the best intentions you should have been more observant. Bucky’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts;

“Well...?”

“Oh... umm... just something comfortable you can relax in”

You left it at that, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter before making your way to your room, in desperate need of a hot bath and a comfortable bed.

~*~

When you emerged from your room the next morning having showered and dressed you were surprised to see Bucky sitting on the chair that was directly outside your door, springing to his feet when he spotted you, a curious look on his face;

“Morning. So umm, what are we doing today? Do I need to change?”

You looked him up and down, smiling when you saw he was dressed in his utility pants and under armour t-shirt;

“We’re not going to be any training or anything physical... we’re going to relax.”

“Relax?”

“Yeah, relax. Take some time to chill” you smiled at him; “So go and get changed into something comfortable and I’ll get started on the pancakes”

“Pancakes?”

“Are you going to repeat the last word of all of my sentences or are you going to change?”

“Ummm... Change” he said with a grin, his expression actually cheerful as he ran back to his room.

A few minutes later as you were mixing the batter as the hotplate got up to temperature on the stove he reappeared, this time in grey sweats and a loose t-shirt, his feet bare.

“Shall I make some coffee?”

You nodded;

“Sure”

The pair of you moved around the kitchen in unison, used to working together and training together so it gave you a sixth sense as to when the other would move and in what direction. Soon you were sat at the counter and enjoying a quiet breakfast in silence, Bucky the first to speak;

“These are really good!” he mumbled through a mouthful of pancake

“Thanks, it must have been my expert assistant who flipped them that gave them the edge”

He grinned at you, a goofy look on his face but one of innocent happiness. You almost choked on the lump that suddenly appeared in your throat, the feeling of hope you now had that your day off with Bucky would actually be of benefit to him.

Once you had finished breakfast and loaded the dishwasher Bucky turned to you a smiled, holding the dishtowel in his hands as he waited for you to give him his next set of instructions;

“So, where now?”

“My room”

The smirk that suddenly shot across his face had you faltering with your words;

“Yes, it’s where the equipment is”

“Equipment?”

You set off for your bedroom, trying to hide your blush from Bucky as he followed a few steps behind you;

“So why do we need to be in your room?”

“It’s where the best view is”

“The view...?”

He stood in the doorway to your bedroom and looked out of the large windows;

“Wow...”

Where your room was situated on the quietest side of the building you had a clear view across to the tree line, the leaves turning a multitude of fall colours. As you stood there you could see rabbits nibbling at the grasses that skirted the edge of the woods. You became aware of Bucky’s presence next to you;

“So what are we going to be doing?”

You turned and picked up the pile of sketch pads and art supplies you had left on the couch by the window, sitting down and waiting for him to sit next to you;

“This is what I do to relax; I draw”

You handed him a clean notebook and placed the case with your pencils in between you on the cushions. He reached in delicately and took one, looking at you for approval;

“What should I draw?”

“Whatever you feel like. Something you find beautiful. Just sit and enjoy the moment. Would you like me to put some music on?”

He shook his head;

“No, I’d rather just talk with you if you don’t mind?”

Over the next hour you both quietly sketched away, the only sounds in the room of lead scratching against paper. You were absorbed in your picture that you hadn’t heard Bucky as he spoke; it was only when his hand touched your arm and made you jump did you spring out of your trance;

“Sorry...” he smiled at you; “Did you want a drink?”

“Sure”

You stayed put as Bucky disappeared, returning a few moments later with two cans of soda. He pulled the ring on the first one and handed it to you, moving to stand by the window instead of joining you on the couch;

“I hadn’t realised how peaceful it is here before. Steve is always dragging me places on the weekend... I understand what he’s doing, but sometimes it’d just be nice to... what’s the saying now? To chill?”

You nodded in agreement, a smile on your face and relief in your heart that your idea had worked. He pointed to your closed sketchpad;

“So what are you drawing?”

“Nuh-uh... its bad luck to see a piece of artwork whilst it’s unfinished”

Soon your drinks were finished and you both returned to your work, setting into a comfortable silence again. By mid afternoon you had all but finished your piece, setting your stuff aside and stretching out to ease your cramping muscles;

“How are you getting on there Buck?”

His brow was furrowed as he continued to work at the paper, his pencil moving slowly as he sketched whatever his chosen subject was. For a few minutes you just watched him, noticing the way his shoulders were no longer tense as he sat, the fluid movements of his arm whilst his metal hand held the pad statue-still. Finally he looked up and smiled, his eyes sparkling with enjoyment;

“I won’t be much longer”

“No rush”

You enjoyed watching him, settling back on the couch as he worked, before finally setting his pencil down. Just as you were going to ask to see what he’d done you could hear the sound of Steve and Wanda returning from their training, and by the sounds of it they weren’t alone.

“Bucky?”

Steve’s voice called out through the apartment and you replied;

“In here”

Moments later you saw Steve and Wanda appear at the doorway, closely followed by Sam, T’Challa, and Scott. After a quick catch up on how their day went and yours in return, it was soon decided that movie and takeout night would be happening. You watched as Bucky left the room, giving Steve a slap on the back as they started to talk happily about the large bruise that was forming on Steve’s cheek.

As their voices grew more distant you cleared up, stashing your art supplies back in the drawer just as you heard his voice;

“Can I keep my drawing?”

Bucky was stood quietly in the doorway, looking expectantly at you;

“Of course you can”

You handed him the closed sketchpad and he stood holding it with both hands, his fingers nervously playing along the edges;

“Do I have to show you?”

Shaking your head you smiled at him;

“No, you don’t have to show anyone” you placed your hand over his; “It’s yours to do with however you please”

“Thanks”

For a moment you just stood there, unsure what was going to happen next, as if there was a connection holding the two of you together... until the bubble was burst by the sound of Scott yelling out that dinner had arrived. Before you could respond Bucky was turning on his heel and out of the door, and by the time you had made it to the living area he had already disappeared into his room.

The rest of the evening was spent with the team sat around on the soft couches and chairs, drinking and eating late into the evening when you finally called it a night, heading to your room as you said goodnight to everyone, stepping over Bucky as he sat with his legs sprawled on the floor, resting your hand on his shoulder as you went;

“Night Buck”

He rested his hand against yours for a moment and looked up at you;

“Thanks for today”

The warm smile on his lips reached his eyes, the pale blue sparkling at you from alcohol heavy lids. For a moment you both paused, before the punch line of a joke was said and his attention turned back to the room. Giving his shoulder one last squeeze you went on your way, shutting yourself in your room where you soon found yourself under the covers, your furry bear the only one keeping you warm that night.

~*~

A week later you were up particularly early, for once all four of you were required for a mission, everyone out of the door and on their way down the stairs just as the strap on your holster snapped;

“Fuck...”

The group came to an abrupt stop, everyone looking at you and seeing your predicament, Bucky immediately speaking up;

“Run back and grab the spare out of my closet... I’ve got to go get the ammo out of stores. You can catch us up, yeah?”

“Thanks Buck”

You ran back and let yourself in, going straight to Bucky’s room and to his closet, quickly finding the holster he meant. For a moment you fiddled with the straps, adjusting them to fit your smaller shoulders until something pinned to the wall near his desk caught your eye. Stepping over to have a closer look you felt that lump in your throat appear again, this time accompanied by a tear that threatened to spill down your cheek.

When you returned to the quinjet bay everyone else was already boarding, and as you ran up the ramp you caught up with them, Bucky standing in front of you and checking the holster;

“Everything ok? Does it fit alright?”

“Its good, thanks Buck”

Taking your seats you found yourself sitting next to Bucky at the back, just the two of you on that row as you fastened the harnesses and Steve made for takeoff. Musing over your thoughts you finally spoke, your voice quiet;

“I really like the artwork on your wall”

You watched Bucky as he realised what you were talking about, biting his lip before he spoke quietly;

“Well... You did tell me to draw something I found beautiful” His hand moved and briefly gave your thigh a squeeze; “I’m looking forward to adding more artwork to my collection... when’s your next day off?”

 

 

 


End file.
